Many airways cancel flights to and from country's main airport

The United Nations said on Sunday it had temporarily relocated some of its international staff out of Libya after heavy fighting broke out between rival militias vying for control of the country's main airport.

The fighting killed nine people and injured 25 others, and forced a halt to all flights in the worst violence in the capital in six months.

"We can confirm a temporary relocation for security reasons," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said, without giving details.

UN sources did not rule out a temporary relocation of all remaining international staff in Libya if the security situation continues to deteriorate. One UN source said UN staff had been "significantly reduced".

Officials said the fight was between armed Islamist groups and militia from Libya's southwestern city of Zintan. Both sides have claimed on their social networking websites that they have taken control of the crucial air hub.

According to a resident in the southern part of the capital, intense gunfire was heard throughout on Sunday. Some witnesses said vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft guns were rushing down the nearby roads.

Local media also reported that rocket-propelled grenades hit the runway, disrupting both domestic and international flights.

Volatile atmosphere

British Airlines, Egypt Air, Tunisair and Turkish Airways have canceled their flights to and from the airport, while Libyan Afriqiyah Airways has redirected all flights arriving in Tripoli to Misrata.

The Civil Aviation Authority has suspended all flights to Tripoli for the next three days and will send a team to monitor the situation, suggesting the atmosphere is still volatile.

Local media reported that Islamist militant groups, including the Central Libya Shield, the Marsa Misratan Brigade, Hateen, the 27th Mobile Infantry and the Libyan Revolutionaries Operation Room, surrounded the airport with heavy weapons.

Tripoli International Airport, Libya's busiest airport, has been under control of the secular Zintan militia groups since the 2011 protests that left the country with a political and military power vacuum after Libya's then-leader, Muammar Gadhafi, was toppled.

The Islamist militant groups, some affiliated with the government, said their goal was to expel all militias from the capital, Tripoli, in a militarized operation dubbed "Libya Dawn".

However, the Libyan government issued a statement on Sunday afternoon and condemned the move as "illegitimate".

A Libyan government spokesman said the authorities did not order the militant groups to carry out the operation, but instead called on both sides to show restraint. He added that the government is trying to protect civilians from the clashes.

Libya has witnessed a drastic escalation of violence and political instability since the fall of Gadhafi's government. Libya's weak central government has failed to rein in the former rebels and militias, many of whom now operate with impunity.

Xinhua - Reuters

(China Daily 07/15/2014 page12)